


to taste the moonlight on your lips

by laehys



Series: eyes full of stars [2]
Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Space, Established Relationship, Feelings, M/M, Non-Sexual Intimacy, space cottagecore, they talk and yearn and wait
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-23
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-16 13:27:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28957158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/laehys/pseuds/laehys
Summary: Kun holds him back just as tight, his body warm, his grip strong, his presence a home that Doyoung won’t ever want to leave. “But think like this, sweetheart: we weren't sure all of this would work at first, right? And you still chose to take my hand and risk everything. You chose to believe in us. So believe in him too.”or: Ten is somewhere in the cosmos and two men wait for him in an unnamed planet.
Relationships: Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Qian Kun
Series: eyes full of stars [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2140218
Comments: 2
Kudos: 36





	to taste the moonlight on your lips

**Author's Note:**

> part 2! it'll probably make more sense if you read _[wild stars](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28855332)_ first <3

"It doesn't matter how much you look up at the stars, Doyoungie, you won't bring him back like this."

Stepping away from the open window and turning around, Doyoung huffs and crosses his arms against his chest, his back leaning against the windowsill. "You don't know that," he answers, the voice coming out stronger than how he feels inside. "Maybe if I stare hard enough I can."

Kun raises an eyebrow, one corner of his lips quirking up. His hair is still as dark as ever, but it had grown longer, and Doyoung mentally makes a note that they need to cut it later. See what Kun thought about trying a new hairstyle. It had been a while since they've had any big changes — a few weeks (maybe months?) since the spaceship crashed in the northern side of their home, making the earth rumble and scaring them shitless; it had been a while since change had happened in their lives.

Besides a few deeper lines next to his eyes, a few hairs stripped of color that had shown up on the sides of his face, Kun looks just like he had when they first met — eyes soft, a gentle smile, the feeling of coming home even if you hadn't one. He was the steadiness that Doyoung needed, the one who held his hand and brought him back to the present whenever his mind ran wild. Kun knew when to edge him forward and when to step back — and Doyoung trusted him wholeheartedly.

"How would that even work?" Kun asks, entertaining Doyoung's thoughts. "How would the stars grant you a wish?"

"Hmm... Well, first of all, things must have changed a lot since we came here," Doyoung says, shrugging easily. Kun walks around the living room, getting close to one of the shelves and slightly moving one of the potted plants to the side, a small smile blossoming on his face. Doyoung watches him from his place, moving a little to the side when the windowsill starts to dig against his back and make him uncomfortable. "It's been... what? Five years since we've arrived?"

"Seven."

"Seven years since we made this place our home," Doyoung continues, nodding his head. "You know how fast technology advances and all of that... Maybe he has some machine that can read thoughts or know when someone is thinking about him. Or maybe the stars have powers and they'll tell him. You never know."

There are little orange buds that shine with the sunlight and Kun nudges their pot a few centimeters to the side too. Doyoung watches him move some of the blue flowers before stepping away from them, turning to get closer to Doyoung, still smiling. "The stars _speaking_? Now _that's_ a wild thought…"

Doyoung purses his lips a little, cheeks reddening. Kun looks at him with so much tenderness and adoration in his gaze that it makes him shift in place so he'd avoid looking into his eyes. "Well... there's always the chance for that happening. You don't know what could happen."

"That's true." Kun stands in front of him and the light that pours out from the window creates the form of Doyoung’s shadow in the middle of Kun's chest, a bright light glow around the edges. Doyoung thinks it's fitting how, right there in Kun's middle, there's some space for him. "Hmm… but what would you say if you could talk with the stars?"

Kun's hands are sneaky and he doesn't waste time in placing them on Doyoung's side, over his clothes, a warm and comforting pressure; something so familiar and soothing that Doyoung feels his insides softening under the touch.

"I would say ' _please, make Kun_ actually _do the laundry next time, I can't deal with another round all by myself_ ' or something like that."

Kun barks out a laugh, fingers gently squeezing around Doyoung's hips once. A reassuring touch. "Noted. I'll do the next few times alone, don’t worry about that. But... what else would you ask for?"

“Hmm… I don’t know… Maybe ask for a pet? Something to keep us company? Oh, do you remember that little bunny I used to have when we started dating? Something like that.”

“That’s a good idea.”

Kun slides his hands underneath Doyoung’s shirt, his fingers warm and soft, caressing the skin of his hips with slow movements. It makes Doyoung feel like he could melt into a puddle on the floor right there and then — it chases the thoughts of _before_ to a place far away, almost making it look like they could never even come back. But they would. The thoughts always came back — but Kun was always there to make them go away too.

"What would you ask for?" Doyoung asks, using his hand to pull Kun’s hand away from under his shirt, intertwining their fingers together instead.

Kun hums for a few seconds, giving him a small, close-lipped smile, one that deepens the dimples on his face. His eyes are full of love, overflowing with raw feelings and emotions, and the sight of him makes Doyoung feel his throat choking up. "I’d ask the stars to give me more years with you here,” Kun says, his voice low. “Give me all the time I can have with you. But I’d also ask them to give you happiness and health for as long as you live."

Doyoung feels his cheeks flushing hard. Part of him is still in awe of how he can get flustered by Kun even after years together, but another part knows that he’ll never truly get used to being loved like this — so freely and unashamedly and _whole_. So he rolls his eyes while exhaling loudly, not being able to contain the smile that tugs at the corner of his lips. "Shut _up_ ,” he says quickly, but then adds in a smaller voice, “Okay. You can keep talking."

Laughing, Kun shakes his head a little, squeezing Doyoung’s hand. “I’d ask the stars to continue letting you be this sexy man,” he says, voice full of teasing and playfulness. “But to give you some ass, though. That would be lovely."

Doyoung snorts. “Ah, yes… Stars, please give me some ass,” he says, tone full of irony. He smiles and lets his gaze trail down over Kun’s entire body. “Your body is nice, though. You won’t need to ask for anything more.”

This time Kun grins wide, dimples getting deeper, eyes crinkling at the corner. "Thank you, darling."

"You're welcome."

🌠

“Kun, my love, did you… Did you dig all of that out there?”

The door is open in front of him, a sunset glow pouring inside their living room. There’s no need to close doors there, to leave their things behind locks and wondering if they’d still be there when they came back. On that small planet, surrounded by the colorful flora and different animals, a small sun that brought them less light than what they were used to, it was only them two. Them and the millions of stars who shone brightly above them; them and the two moons who kept them company throughout the nights.

Kun is inside the house, hair still wet, clothes clinging to his body; he’s peering from the corner of a wall, mostly his eyes and head visible, but Doyoung just _knows_ that he’s smiling. He can feel it.

Holding a wicker basket full of herbs and fresh vegetables in one hand, Doyoung uses the other to run through his hair, huffing when he feels grains of dirt clinging to his sweaty forehead. He’d been out during the entire day, gathering supplies that they were lacking and, when he’d left, the garden had been intact and flourishing beautifully — but now there’s a space on the side of their house, fresh dirt dug just underneath the window.

A space created and waiting just for something.

“What?” Kun says, voice loud and bright, eyes scrunching up just before his head disappears behind the wall.

"You did, didn't you?" Doyoung asks, walking inside. The metal walls of what was once a spaceship now had been stripped of their cold colors and were full of life with colorful plants and ivy growing over them, a bright yellow as the color base. It was home. _Their_ home.

Kun only hums as an answer. When Doyoung walks inside the kitchen, he sees that Kun is finishing washing his hands. He catches a glimpse of Doyoung entering and smiles wide, flicking his wet hands in his direction and making Doyoung step back in an attempt to shield himself behind his wicker basket.

“What if I did?” Kun asks. He stays in his place and Doyoung is the one who walks closer to him, staring unashamedly at his hands. When he places the basket on the counter, Kun sneaks an arm behind his back, tugging him close, his voice a little lower when he says, “I thought about what you said and I remembered that he also said he’d come back. So I just—you know… You were gone, I was a little bored, so why not? It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

 _He._ There was no need to specify who that was.

Doyoung snorts a little. “ _Of course it did_ ,” he mutters, but then his voice gets an edge, becomes something that wavers. “Did he promise you that? Did Ten promise you he would come back? Because he didn’t say any word like this with me—I noticed that. He didn’t _promise_.”

His heart beats fast inside his chest. Kun’s arm around him is a source of strength and a way to ground him in place, and Doyoung turns his attention to the basket, pulling from inside some sunset berries that he drops on the counter.

“He didn’t promise,” Kun confirms, his thumb caressing his hip. He crowds close to Doyoung, using his other hand to stop the berries from rolling off the counter. “But I… I think he’ll come back. I don’t know when, but I know he will.”

Pursing his lips, Doyoung takes a few seconds to answer. “How can you be sure of that?”

Kun doesn’t reply immediately back. He makes a little noise from the back of his throat, nosing the crown of Doyoung’s head and placing a kiss on the side of his temple. “Are you gonna tell me you don’t want to have hope about that?”

Doyoung’s eyes flutter shut at the soft touch of Kun’s lips against his face. He turns to look at him, abandoning the basket. A sigh comes out of him before he can even realize that, melting under Kun’s touch. “I want to have hope,” he says. “I _do_ , but the rational part of me says that we were just some random men who helped him once. Why would he come back? Maybe we were weird. Too forward. Maybe he doesn't understand it at all. Maybe he—”

“Don’t doubt yourself and your heart,” Kun interrupts him, scrunching up his brows. He looks sad, down, but he still snuggles close to Doyoung and places another kiss on the side of his face, his voice becoming something lower as his warm breath grazes the shell of Doyoung’s ear. “You have so much love to give to others, my darling. It's not your fault, okay? And I think he understands... Hopefully, he does. If it's meant to be, he'll come back. He will."

Doyoung gives in and shuffles a little to completely drown in Kun’s embrace — he’s chest to chest to him now, heartbeats so strong that Doyoung doesn’t know if they’re his or Kun’s. But it doesn’t matter in the end; they’re together and they’re one.

When he speaks again, his voice is muffled against Kun’s neck, his fingers holding him tight. “I don't like this,” he says. “I want something certain. I don't like _possibilities_. I want something I can be sure of.”

Kun holds him back just as tight, his body warm, his grip strong, his presence a home that Doyoung won’t ever want to leave. “But think like this, sweetheart: we weren't sure all of this would work at first, right? And you still chose to take my hand and risk everything. You chose to believe in us. So believe in him too.”

“But we worked for this here. We worked _so hard_. And with Ten… There’s nothing I can do.”

Kun’s chest rumbles a little when he hums once again, swaying a little bit to the side as he holds Doyoung against him, his voice a comfort that soothes all of Doyoung’s problems and hurts away. “But maybe you already did everything you could, Doie… Maybe you did more than you can even imagine.”

With another heavy sigh, Doyoung just buries his head deeper on the side of Kun’s neck, breathing him in. “There’s no right answer, right?” His voice comes out weak, small.

“No,” Kun breathes out. “We can only hope and wish for something. Dreams are all we have until it becomes a reality.”

“ _If_ it ever happens.”

“ _When_ ,” Kun corrects him, his voice soft.

🌠

Doyoung remembers a moment from _before_. A before where he’d stay glued to a screen, too aware of the passing of time — which one had to be when your value was measured by how productive one could be in the smaller amount of time.

Every hour, every minute, every second, had to be well used. 

But now — now Doyoung looks up at the ever-changing sky and its colors, looks at how the sun sets on the horizon to give space for the dark sky and all the shiny stars, looks at how the lines on Kun’s face suddenly looks deeper, longer. Time hasn’t stopped existing in that place, but it isn’t a burden or a heavy thing to carry; time exists and crawls through like everything else in the world also does. And Doyoung accepts its presence. He doesn’t hate time nor keeps a careful eye upon it; time exists and does its things just like himself.

He just wasn’t a slave to it anymore.

Doyoung knew time was slipping through his fingers when he could appreciate a new sunrise, when he could watch the cycle of trees losing their leaves just to get them back, but he wasn’t aware of _how_ much it was passing until he caught himself counting the days since Ten had left.

There was no need to keep an exact count of days when no deadlines existed there, but Doyoung would still wake up with a new number on his mind. Kun was understanding to him but didn’t seem to worry about how the number was always increasing — but Doyoung knew everyone dealt with that in different ways.

Days merged into weeks that merged into months. For Kun it was the season to plant new seeds, it was the season to hunt specific animals, it was the season to harvest certain things. Doyoung tried to keep count of the exact number of days but, in the middle, they mixed all together and he didn’t know any more. Though he had a general idea because of different seasons and the natural cycle of the plants, he couldn’t point out exactly how _long_ it had been since Ten left their little planet in his loud and rough-looking spaceship.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kun had said, a kind look on his face, “time is a meaningless thing when you’re traveling through the cosmos and jumping from one planet to another.”

Kun had been the one between them both who had had his fair share of cosmic adventures before they settled down on their planet, so Doyoung nodded and accepted it. For him, time had been something he had to keep a careful eye upon, but Kun was the one who shared the most similarity with Ten and could understand him better.

“Maybe he doesn’t know how long it has been,” Kun had said, “it’s hard to be aware of that out there.”

“But you always came back. You always kept your promises and was never late,” Doyoung had answered, eyebrows scrunching up. Ten might have made no promises, but Doyoung still felt and looked up at the sky as if he had.

The corner of Kun’s lips quirked up before he replied, his voice knocking the wind out of Doyoung’s chest, “I had someone to come back to. I couldn’t be late to our date, sweetheart.”

While that made Doyoung bloom with love for the man in front of him, it also made him remember that they weren’t as important for Ten to make him come back quickly. They weren’t a constant thought on his mind, a promise to be fulfilled.

Kun, like always, seemed to be able to read his mind, for he immediately had said, “Even if you have someone waiting for you, even if you have important things to do, sometimes wanderlust and the need to travel is bigger than that. It’s not because someone doesn’t care—sometimes you care too much and the only thing you can do is to keep getting as far away as possible from the source of all of those feelings.”

“It doesn’t make sense. Why run away from what you care about?”

Kun had a far-way look in his eyes, his shoulders heavy, when he replied, “Things are different when you’re out there alone with your thoughts. It’s not as simple. But one can only run away for so long.”

🌠

Though they had thoroughly explored their planet before, there are times when Doyoung feels like there’s always something new to discover, something new to see.

Sometimes he gazes at the open field next to their house and it’s like he’s seeing it for the first time; his breath gets knocked out of his chest, a gasp leaving his lips, eyes welling up with tears. He can’t believe how beautiful it all is, he can’t believe how it’s all his and Kun’s, he can’t believe they have such a special place for themselves.

It’s a small planet in the middle of so many others, lost in between the millions of stars and galaxies that surround them; something a little purple, a little pink, with no rings around it. _NEO 5J14BS26K_ , it had been called before. _Home_ , it was now.

The woods closest to their house are now yellowed and brown, their leaves covering the purple grass and blanketing it when they pass through, loud crunches echoing with every step they take. Soon the leaves would start to grow back on the trees, little spots of white and blue until they became pink.

And there, in a clearing in the woods, less than ten minutes away from their house, there’s a lake with its crystal blue color — so clear one could see the bottom and all the rocks and plants that grew there. Kun particularly loved spending some time there, bathing in the warm waters and observing the scenery, watching the colors change in the sky, and Doyoung liked to see Kun happy above it all, so when Kun calls for him, Doyoung doesn’t waste time in accepting the invitation.

There’s a deep part close to some rock formation, their jagged sides making it a tricky place to wander, but Kun stays close to the shallow ends, the water lapping at his waist with the movements he makes with his arms, gathering crystalline blue water to pour over his chest and wash his face.

Doyoung steps out of his clothes, pushing them close to a tree. He tests the water with the tip of his toes, ignoring Kun’s eager hands and calls for him to “ _Jump! Just jump!_ ”. So, after making sure the water wasn’t too cold, Doyoung jumps away from Kun just because he could.

He swims to Kun’s side later, laughing and shaking the water off his face, his wet hair sticking to his temples. Kun’s still in the shallowest part so Doyoung stands up too, bringing up water in his cupped hands to pour over Kun’s head.

“Come on,” he whines a little, “just dive for a second.”

Kun grunts and tries to run away from Doyoung, his movements slow because of the water, the big grin on his face making his dimples pop out.

Rolling his eyes, Doyoung can’t help but smile too before he pounces on Kun’s back, submerging them both. It doesn’t hurt to open his eyes underwater and it’s a pretty view to see everything with a light blue filter over it, the fishes and plants and rocks shining with different colors.

Still, oxygen is a need and Doyoung breaks through the surface after Kun, his lungs burning a little. Kun pouts in his direction, his hair all flat on his head and almost covering his eyes completely.

Doyoung’s so in love, so enamored by him, that he swims close again to Kun and can’t help but think he’s one of the most beautiful people he’d ever seen in his entire life. Even with his hair definitely not helping his looks at all, with mock-unhappiness on his features, Kun is as beautiful and as breathtaking as the first time they had met.

This time he doesn’t push Doyoung away and opens his arms instead. It’s still not that deep; they can stand up straight and the water sloshes against their chests. Kun brushes a kiss on the corner of his mouth and Doyoung intertwines his fingers on the back of Kun’s hair, tilting his head so he could kiss him on the lips.

Kun tastes just like one of the blue fruits that grow in their garden — _blue strips_ , they call it, a blue long-looking thing that’s too sweet to be eaten without drinking water after. When they pull apart, Kun’s lips are as red as the bushes behind their house and the sky as the sun sets.

“I was thinking about something,” Kun says, his lips grazing the side of Doyoung’s face, his chin, his jaw, running all over his skin in small kisses that make Doyoung giggle a little.

“Is it something you shouldn’t be thinking about?” Kun takes a few seconds to answer, trying to distract Doyoung with a kiss on his neck, but Doyoung gently pulls on Kun’s hair. “ _Yeah_ , definitely something you shouldn’t. What did you do this time?”

Kun chuckles and his breath makes the hairs on Doyoung’s neck rise. “Can you see those flowers on the bottom?”

Doyoung turns his head to the side, freeing himself from Kun’s mouth for a second. There, right at the bottom and among some rocks and algae, among flowers and plants, there’s one that he _knows_ it’s what Kun is talking about — it sways with the movements of the water, gently mimicking all the others next to it, but the light blue glow it emits is hard to miss.

“The glowing one?”

“Hmm…”

He just _knows_ what Kun is trying to tell him. What must’ve been running on his mind.

“Ah… weren’t you the one who said Ten could choose his flower? Why are you choosing one for him?” With the teasing directed at him, Kun hides his face in the crook of Doyoung’s neck, teasingly biting the skin before he dives under the water and swims away. Doyoung laughs out loud when Kun re-appears on the other end and pushes the wet hair away from his face. “Hey, don’t run away from me!”

Kun doesn’t move when he gets closer. His smile is shy, dimples poking out, but he doesn’t avoid Doyoung’s gaze. He lets Doyoung crowd close to him, backing him against the side.

“I’m not running away,” Kun says. “You’re the one all over me right now.”

Though he rolls his eyes, Doyoung can’t control himself and he rests his hand on Kun’s shoulder, cupping the side of his face — it’s impossible for him to control his moves, to control himself around Kun; to not touch him, to not show him any kind of affection. It’s a need and a want deep ingrained into his bones.

“Am I? I don’t know about that,” Doyoung answers. “Were you thinking something poetical about the flower? Something specific? Why this right now?”

“Why not?”

 _Why not?_ Doyoung still looks up at the sky. Kun still digs in the garden in hopes of Ten showing up soon. He’s always on their minds.

“Yeah, I get it,” Doyoung says, thumb brushing against Kun’s lower lip. The man in front of him part his lips immediately, gaze heavy, waiting. “And it’s very him, too.”

“How is it him? What do you see when you look at it?”

Doyoung could break his moment with Kun to look down and catch another glimpse at the flower, but he continues looking at him, thumb now caressing the top of Kun’s cheekbones. “It’s underwater and shining just like the stars do. Just where he is… We should bring him here. He’d like this place.”

Kun nods, humming. “He would, wouldn’t he? It’s very relaxing here.”

“Very.” Doyoung finally leans forwards, slotting their lips together and pressing their bodies close, feeling Kun’s bare chest against his. “I love you.”

Kun smiles against his mouth and that breaks the kiss — and it only makes Doyoung smile right back at him, brushing their lips together again. Kun whispers right against his mouth, a quiet confession for only him to hear, “And you know I love you too. I'd do anything for you, my love.”

Doyoung sighs, sinking against Kun’s touch, body tingling with joy and affection and devotion for the man in front of him. “Same.”

**Author's Note:**

> [ [twt](https://twitter.com/pinkhrj) | [ccat](https://curiouscat.me/rensungie) ]


End file.
